NEWS
Senwesters geared
for the customer
At the end of a very long and late harvesting season, it is time to look ahead to the
planting season and to do everything possible for your customer. There was only one
message on Friday, 21 September, namely that Senwesters are positive and they are
well-anchored.
By Aubrey Kruger
Senwes Scenario Editor
A
number of customer-focused
Senwesters were addressed
by selected speakers, name-
ly Francois Strydom (Chief
Executive Officer of Senwes), Jaco
Minnaar (Senwes producer) as well
as Justin Cohen (prize-winning writer
and motivational speaker) at The Barn,
Senwes Head Office in Klerksdorp.
Strydom's message was that Senwes
is a company which is really making a
difference - “Decisions are determined by
hard work and analyses which have to be
done.” He added: “In agriculture we are
currently in the midst of a very important
and difficult issue - land.” He was full of
praise for his personnel and proudly said,
“You are the people who really make me
proud.” He emphasised that, despite a lot
of negativity, Senwesters remained posi-
tive. He also gave his view on particularly
South African producers who, despite low
rainfall, still have excellent yields. “Those
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SENWES SCENARIO | SUMMER 2018
guys really are magicians.”
Senwes producer, Senwes director and
chairman of Grain SA, Jaco Minaar, said
from a producer's point of view that one
should always ask yourself the following
question: "Did you add value?” His advice
was that one gets loyalty through involve-
ment - it is not something that you can
buy or earn. His last bit of advice was to
be proactive and to pursue your vision.
Senwes was also visited by Justin
Cohen, writer of the book Pitch to Win. He
insisted that Senwesters should continue
with their good work and that they should
always strive to doing more exceptional
work. “If you cannot envision your poten-
tial, you will never reach your potential,”
he added. There is a lot of focus on
negativity and differences today, but his
advice was: “In terms of colleagues and
customers, we are very similar and not as
different as we may think.” Appreciation
is another important concept which, if
applied correctly, can result in good con-
duct.
All the speakers, Strydom, Minnaar and
Cohen, agreed that everyone in South
Africa, and particularly in the agri-environ-
ment, should now be positive. Be positive,
remain humble and we will overcome any
obstacle.
Francois
Strydom's
(Senwes CEO)
message was to
continue to be
solution driven for
the customer.
Senwes producer
Jaco Minnaar
highlighted the
importance of a
vision and the
importance of
realising your
dreams.
Justin Cohen
addressed
Senwesters and
said that people
like people who
are like them.